Past, present poker speak floods into everyday language

The poker and gambling universe is filled with smooth talkers and a creative language that can sound alien to the people outside of it.

But the outsiders sure do like to steal those colorful phrases once they figure out what they mean.

Everybody knows the meaning of “passing the buck.”

It's a non-flattering way of saying that somebody left another person out to dry by transferring the responsibility of a task to someone else. Politicians love the phrase, and sometimes the words are even taken literally in fiscal debates that stray from their origin.

The real history of the phrase goes back to the poker tables of the Old West near the turn of the 20th century.

Players didn't like the idea of a full-time dealer, and to curb the cheating — which was admittedly rampant — players took turns with the deal in the same manner that can be found today in friendly home games at a kitchen table.

There was no fancy white button to pass around to designate the dealer position. If a group of people at a bar could come up with a complete deck of cards, that was enough of a triumph and the limit to the poker props.

However, everybody had a knife. In that era, the handles were usually made out of old deer and elk horns, aka “The Buck.” So when it was time to deal, they would stick the knife in the table and proceed with the action.

And that is how the phrase was born.

“The buck stops here.” That famous line was delivered by President Harry S. Truman, who was so fond of the line, he prominently displayed it on a wooden sign on his desk in the Oval Office.

“The Nuts” is another quirky poker term born during that era. It elicits giggles from people for obvious reasons, but it has absolutely nothing to do with male anatomy or salty snacks that pair well with beer.

When poker games got really heated, players would occasionally put the nuts to the bolts of their wagons on the table to show that it was officially part of the pot.

Since the loss of your wagon would usually translate into the loss of everything you own and possible death, it was safe to assume the bet was only made when it was impossible to lose the pot.

The sporting world has recently taken on a love affair with the poker concept of “going all-in.” It's the biggest sign of strength a player can make — shoving every chip in your possession into the pot.

If you lose the hand, you are out of the game.

Owners, coaches and general managers are given the label when they make unexpected roster moves to land a key talent or inject major money into the franchise to make an immediate run at a championship at the possible expense of success in later years.